


new hope in soft light

by trainerlyra



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: AkeSumi Zine, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Light Romance, Mild Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Persona 5: The Royal, Pining, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:34:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29233836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trainerlyra/pseuds/trainerlyra
Summary: The more she was able to read him, the more Sumire was finding shelikedthis new Akechi, much to her dismay. It was a terribly difficult thing to come to terms with.Or: Sumire gets sick, and Akechi happens to be the one tasked with delivering her medicine.Written for theAkeSumi Zine!
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Kudos: 28





	new hope in soft light

**Author's Note:**

> written during nanowrimo 2020 for the akesumi zine! sickfics are so cute and wholesome.... i had a lot of fun with it, and i'm glad i got to join in with so many talented people to celebrate this ship!! hope i get to do more zine fics in the future, i enjoy spreading the good word about my faves

In Sumire's defense, she had really thought she could handle it. Going from just school and practice to school, practice, keeping tabs on her mental health _and_ becoming a Phantom Thief at night hadn't seemed like it would be that much more work on paper. At least, not to her. She'd always been good at juggling multiple things.

However, she had missed one crucial detail - she no longer had Kasumi to help pick up her slack. She was the one with the better memory overall, but when she was trying to do a million things at once, Kasumi had always been there to help her. Now that she was learning how to be Sumire again, she was feeling the hole losing her sister had left her with more than she had expected.

Especially now, while she was sick with a cold in bed. She had texted the Phantom Thieves' group chat that morning, apologizing for the fact that she would not be able to join them into Mementos that evening, and promptly fell right back asleep. Sumire was honestly just glad that her father had been understanding and let her stay home from school.

Now that she was a little more awake, she was almost terrified of going through the chat. Though it was likely just everyone wishing her well - everyone had been so kind to her from the moment she had joined - Sumire still felt horrible for having to bail on them. Akechi had even warned her, and she had been so confident that she wouldn't slow them down at all. And now here she was, sick with a fever and a sore throat from, what, doing a little too much extracurricular activities? _Ugh_ , she shook her head. It was so _frustrating_.

She was so lost in thought that when her phone vibrated in her hand, she nearly jumped out of her own skin. Even now she still didn't want to see who was potentially reprimanding her, but before she could lock the phone screen again she caught the name: _Akechi Goro._

Curiosity piqued higher than her fear of anyone being angry with her, Sumire unlocked her phone to check the new message. _Open your door_ was all it read. Blinking, she reread the message twice, then three times.

Before she could figure out what he meant, another message came through. _I see that you've read this_ , it said. _Are you too sick to stand?_ She could practically hear his tone of voice, aggravated but with a touch of concern. Though she hadn't really gotten used to this new, blunt Akechi, she'd gotten a little better at reading him. Though most of what he said was rude or harsh, Sumire really did think he meant well. Why would he be outside her house while she was sick if he didn't?

Just like that, reality crashed into her like a wave. Scrambling out of bed as fast as she could, she ran to the door while trying to throw her hair back up in the ponytail she'd gotten used to wearing. Before she could even think about it, she was opening the door and staring at Akechi.

He waved a plastic bag in front of her face. "I was asked to drop this off by Joker," he said, rolling his eyes. "Are you going to invite me in, or should we both pretend this never happened?"

Sumire gaped like a fish out of water, her eyes flicking between Akechi and the plastic bag that he had carried over. A thousand questions ran through her mind at light speed, but she could barely think straight enough to pluck one out and voice it. Instead, she wordlessly moved away from the door, allowing Akechi passage into her front hall.

Without a word, he took off his shoes, placing them neatly against the wall. "Well?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I warned you, didn't I?" Sumire ducked her head in shame, but Akechi kept speaking right over her. "Regardless, the rest of your little _team_ ," he spit out the word like it burned him, "put this together for you. Somehow I was voted to drop it off. Where should I put everything?"

It wasn't terribly uncommon for Sumire to feel out of her element. While she was traipsing around as Kasumi and pretending that everything was fine, she had done a very good job of convincing everyone around her that it _wasn't_ the case, but that only went so far. As herself, Sumire often felt like she had no say in what was going on around her, or any control at all. It was part of why she liked gymnastics so much - she felt like what she put in directly came back to her.

But this was so out of the realm of anything she'd ever prepared for, she wasn't even sure how to react. "I can take the medicine into my room," Sumire found herself replying, holding out tired arms. "I don't know what else there is." It hurt to speak with how scratchy her throat was, and it took all her effort not to wince at the way she sounded.

However, nothing about this situation was set on making sense, apparently. Instead of getting angrier with her, or just throwing the stuff on her kitchen table and heading out, Akechi instead gave her a quick once over. "You're sicker than I thought," he remarked, taking off his winter coat and throwing it over one of her chairs. "How long do you think you'll be out for? We don't have all year, you know."

Though his words seemed pragmatic and completely unemotional, Sumire didn't miss the way his eyebrows knitted in concern or how his tone seemed to be a little softer than when he'd first shown up at her doorstep. She wasn't sure what to think about that. Then again, she was never sure when it came to Goro Akechi.

"I don't know," she said honestly, already exhausted all over again. She wasn't sure if the feeling had ever left at all. "I'm trying to get better as fast as I can. I'm sorry to be a hindrance." Sumire looked down at her feet, shuffling awkwardly. Being sick already made her feel out of sorts, but the longer this conversation went on, the more out of reality she felt.

Akechi, however, didn't seem to notice her discomfort or confusion. Instead, he moved the medicine out of the bag, slowly taking everything else with it - a bottle of electrolyte water, a box of tissues, and some crackers - and laying it all on the table.

"Have you left your room at all?" He asked, ignoring her entirely. He just kept wanting to defy her expectations, Sumire could only assume. "Take this, and sleep on the couch for awhile instead. It's good to get out of the same space when you're ill. Grab a blanket, too." He snapped off his points, shoving the medication at her roughly.

For a long moment, Sumire just stared. She had long since figured this was nothing more than a fever dream. There was just no way that it was really Akechi in front of her, bringing her medicine and trying to make sure she was comfortable. Of course, this _was_ Maruki's reality, and she supposed it could've just been a version of Akechi conjured up by her mind…

But that would be crazy. If she were going to bother making up Akechi, of all people, coming to nurse her back to health, she would've stood to make him just a little nicer about it, like how he used to be. Well, she hoped she would've, anyways.

She was growing less and less sure of that point as the days went on. The more she was able to read him, the more Sumire was finding she _liked_ this new Akechi, much to her dismay. It was a terribly difficult thing to come to terms with.

When Akechi's eyebrows knit in both concern and frustration, Sumire blinked, realizing she'd been zoning out again. At least she had the excuse of being sick this time. "Sorry, I'll go do that," she said, nodding a little too fast and making herself dizzy.

Once she felt balanced on her feet, she made way to her room to grab the blanket. If this was just a fever dream, Sumire decided, it was a nice one at least. Usually they were full of too vivid colors and memories of her sister. This was downright wonderful in comparison.

By the time she made it back to the living room, he had already set up a small plate of crackers for her and opened the water bottle. "Sit," Akechi said, sounding less like he was giving her a gentle nudge and more like it was a command.

Sumire didn't find she had much of a choice. Regardless of what she wanted to do, her legs were wobbly already. Even with all her training, her body was still so weak. It was frustrating. Trying to pretend she wasn't shaky on her feet, she moved to the couch. The support was nice, and she instantly found herself falling back into the plush back of it.

The blanket she'd carried over was ripped roughly out of her hands, but before she could protest, Akechi was draping it over her freezing body. Once that was done, he shoved the plate of crackers onto her lap; the movement threatening to spill some onto the blanket.

"Eat," he told her, looking pointedly at the plate. "Then you can take this and go to sleep." He waved the medicine in front her of, as if it was supposed to be a taunt instead of a kindness.

Honestly, she wasn't sure that any of this was a kindness anymore. "Why are you doing this?" She asked, finding the courage to look this dream-Akechi right in the eye. "I don't understand. I know you don't like us, and especially me. You don't have to stay here, I'll be alright." Maybe it was because she thought he might be a dream she was able to say what were on her mind, since normally, Sumire knew she wouldn't have had the strength.

She was still learning how to stand on her own two feet when it came to being herself. For so long, Kasumi had been there for her to help her pick up the pieces. Now that she was gone, and she was living as Sumire, she struggled more than she would've liked to admit.

But maybe it wasn't just because she thought he might not even be real. After all, there was a reason she wouldn't have been terribly surprised it was Akechi that her dreams had conjured up for her. In a way, Sumire wondered if he was like her, in this new reality - finding a comfortable way to be while still rejecting what Maruki had laid out for them.

Akechi, however, didn't even seem taken aback by her words. That was the other thing: he somehow always made her feel like she had two feet of her own, even if it was through his harsh words.

"Does it matter?" He asked in lieu of giving her a straight answer. "You are needed. Your Persona is absurdly strong, and you likely know Maruki better then the everyone else. Being sick is a hindrance, as you so kindly put it earlier. So we need you to get better."

But as he put the water bottle next to her side, and sat across from her on her father's favorite chair, Sumire wondered if that was really all of it. Like usual, there seemed to be something hidden in his reply - it almost seemed like he didn't want her asking him questions about why he was still there, instead of having just dropped everything off. Part of her was determined to get to the bottom of it, but the other half of her was just exhausted. Having to fight for his honesty wasn't something Sumire really had the energy for.

"Eat your crackers," Akechi told her, pointing to them. Slowly, Sumire obliged, snacking quietly as she was lost in thought.

They both stayed silent after that, only the sound of her chewing occupying the room. As she ate, her curiosity grew and grew as she found she couldn't come to a proper conclusion. Did Akechi want to be there? Did he actually care about her, or any of the Phantom Thieves? They all seemed to have such a confusing history. She'd barely been able to get a straight answer from any of them about Akechi's weird relationship with the group.

She sighed, finally looking at him again. Asking him would probably start a fight, and she wasn't feeling well enough for that. Instead, she gently put the plate of mostly eaten crackers on the floor, took one one of the pills he'd brought from the store, and curled up into the couch.

"Will you still be here when I wake up?" She asked, not fully sure why she was bothering. The answer would most likely be no, and she would wake up just as alone as she had that morning. Akechi would leave, and likely pretend that this had never happened, and they would be right back where they started - Sumire full of wonder, and Akechi with an impossible to climb wall in front of his emotions.

Akechi regarded her for a long moment. She wondered what he say, on her face, in her eyes; how much he could tell about her from just a look. It made her a little self conscious, when he stared at her like he could reach right into her head and pull out all her secrets. It was probably the whole detective thing, but still.

"Yes," he finally answered, nodding once. "I will still be here."

It was not the first of the surprises that night, but was probably the biggest one thus far. Sumire pulled the blanket up a little higher, hoping to hide her blush. Maybe she could pass it off as her fever spiking up. "Okay," she whispered, closing her eyes. "I trust you."

She wasn't sure why, really. He'd given her a hundred reasons not to. But for every cruel thing he said or did, he seemed to do something completely different afterwards. He seemed to understand her in a way that she wasn't expecting - how angry he'd gotten when she'd first spoken about her thoughts on becoming Kasumi was proof enough of that.

Sumire drifted off to sleep, slowly, thoughts of Akechi still lingering.

* * *

When she woke up, Sumire blinked a few times, wondering why she was in her living room instead of in her bed like she had been. The events of the day slowly came back to her, and slowly, she peaked out from the blankets to see if Akechi had kept his word. Though she barely would admit it to herself, she was scared he hadn't. She didn't even know why.

But in front of her, sitting in the same chair as earlier, was Akechi. His laptop was open on his lap, and he seemed completely engrossed in whatever he was doing. Probably looking for things about Maruki, if she had to guess. But… he had kept his word. He really had stayed the whole time she slept, making sure to wait for her to wake.

For all the bluntness of his usual demeanor, he was oddly kind, Sumire was starting to realize. She wondered, then, how much of a difference there really was between the Detective Prince and the Akechi she'd been getting to know - how much of him bled into both identities. While she was Kasumi, she had done many things her sister wouldn't, since she was still herself. Maybe it was the same for him.

"You're finally awake," Akechi said, snapping his laptop shut and startling her out of her reverie. "I should be heading out soon. You slept for quite awhile."

Sumire blinked, trying to catch up with what was going on. "Don't leave yet," she said, the words tumbling out before she really had a moment to think about them or their implications. "I want to talk with you more."

Something in her voice must've given away how out of it she still felt, because Akechi didn't say anything in response for a moment. Instead, he busied himself with putting away his laptop and taking the plate into the kitchen. A quick glance at the window told her that it was already late, since it looked fairly dark outside.

"Once everything is dealt with," Akechi told her, slowly, as if talking to a child, "we will talk. I'm going to leave now." She wasn't sure if she was imagining it in her sleepy stupor, but he sounded almost warm when he spoke to her then. Almost as if he really did want to have a proper conversation with her, too.

Which… Sumire supposed wouldn't have been the craziest surprise of the night. He had not only been the one to bring over supplies for her, but had gotten her comfortable out of her room and had even kept his promise to stay with her until she woke back up. Akechi agreeing to have a talk with her was hardly the most surprising thing of the night.

Still, she couldn't help but smile. The more time she spent with him, the more she was really starting to piece him together - all the different sides of him. And she was finding, more and more, that she was really starting to enjoy being around him; rude and crass as he could be.

Akechi left without so much as a proper goodbye, but that was alright. Sumire moved herself back into bed, eyes falling shut fairly quickly once she was comfortable.

In her dreams, they spoke, and laughed, and he smiled at her. A very genuine, true smile, straight from the heart.

She could only hope it was what was to come when they finally were able to talk together.

**Author's Note:**

> yeah, my p5r heart still beats for these two......  
> anyways, part 1 of ? of mitzi forgot she finished things and didn't upload them, be prepared for a large influx of fics written late 2020 that i completely forgot were complete!!!!!


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